Edeline
I stood frozen, the world turning into a blurred mess of colors and hushed whispers. I had to have heard that wrong. Percival? With a pregnant she-wolf from another pack? It was a lie. It had to be.
The crowd began to murmur, the sound rising like a swarm of bees. They were wondering if she was the one—if she was his mate. I didn't wait to hear their theories. I stepped forward, closing the distance between us until his scent hit me like a physical blow. It was thick, intoxicating, and undeniably mine.
"Pe-Percival…" I breathed, my voice small and shaky. "I found you. Finally... my mate."
A surge of pure, unadulterated joy crashed through me. I searched his face, desperate for a sign. He smiled, and for a second, the world felt right again. He knew. He felt the pull just as strongly as I did. But then, the blonde girl shifted, her hand sliding possessively over his arm.
The smile died on his lips.
"Who is this woman?" she demanded, her voice sharp and arrogant.
Percival’s entire body went rigid. His jaw tightened so hard I thought it might snap, and his fists were clenched white at his sides. He wouldn't even look at me anymore; his blue eyes were fixed on the dirt, clouded with a misery that made my stomach churn.
"I need to speak with her," Percival ground out, taking a step toward me. The blonde woman blocked his path, her eyebrows arched in a silent, daring challenge. "I said, I have to—"
"Everyone, return to your homes immediately!"
The Alpha’s voice boomed across the yard, sharp as a blade. The crowd scattered instantly under his iron glare. He looked at Percival, his eyes burning with a fury that made the air feel heavy.
A sharp, cold ache bloomed in my chest. What was happening? Why was everyone acting like I was a problem to be solved?
Luna Annabel stepped forward, gently guiding the blonde girl toward the pack house. Before she disappeared, she caught my eye and gave me a look so full of pity and sadness that I felt like I’d been slapped.
"Thanks, Alpha," Percival muttered, clapping his father on the shoulder.
Then, the Alpha was gone, and we were alone.
Percival’s eyes finally met mine, and the intensity of his gaze was a physical weight. He scanned my body, his pupils blown wide until the blue was nearly swallowed by black and a flicker of gold. His canines began to slide down, and his breath hitched. My scent was clearly unraveling his control, driving his wolf toward the singular goal of marking what belonged to him.
Without a word, he grabbed my hand. His grip was a firm, desperate anchor. We ran, the wind whipping past us as he led me deep into the forest, far away from the prying eyes of the pack.
We stopped in a secluded thicket where the moonlight struggled to pierce through the heavy canopy. He turned to me, the air between us thick with a hunger that made my heart race. He reached out, his thumb brushing over my cheek. Sparks erupted wherever he touched me.
"I’ve spent a lifetime waiting for this," he rasped, his voice sounding like gravel. "Waiting for you..."
I leaned into him, my pulse thrumming in my ears. "I'm right here, Percival," I whispered, my voice thick with emotion. "I'm yours."
He dipped his head, his hot breath ghosting over the sensitive skin of my neck. I felt the sharp graze of his teeth. I closed my eyes, tilting my head back to give him better access, my whole body trembling in anticipation.
Then, he stopped.
The heat vanished. He pulled back, his canines retracting as he stumbled a step away from me. "I ruined it, Edeline. We can't... I-I can't mark you. I'm so sorry."
The rejection hit me like a bucket of ice water. My smile fell, and the silence of the woods felt deafening. My wolf let out a pathetic, wounded whine in my mind.
"Percival, what are you saying?" I asked, my voice cracking. "Do-do you not want me? Just tell me the truth..."
I could feel his agony—it wasn't the telepathic bond of a mated pair yet, but our souls were screaming at each other, trying to bridge the gap.
He bit his lip so hard it nearly bled, shaking his head. "The Goddess knows I want you, Edeline. If I had only known sooner... we grew up side-by-side, and I wanted it to be you. You're perfect. You were born to be my Luna," he whispered, the words sounding like they were being torn out of his throat. He looked at me, his eyes warring with the urge to pull me back into his arms.
"But I did something... and now, knowing you're my mate is just destroying me. It’s going to break your heart, Edeline. It’s already breaking mine." He squeezed his eyes shut, turning his face away. "I am so, so sorry."
Panic flared in my throat, choking me. "Wh-why? What happened? Percival, please, just tell me!"
I already knew. Deep down, I knew it was because of that blonde bitch.
Percival looked back at me, his face a mask of pure, raw misery. "I ruined everything, Edeline," he rasped, his voice cracking. "I lost control of myself."
His scent drifted toward me, warm and inviting, begging me to bridge the small gap between us and throw my arms around him. I stayed rooted to the spot, my breath hitching as I waited for the rest.
"The girl from the truck... Tatiana." He squeezed his eyes shut, unable to meet my gaze. "I got her pregnant. She’s carrying my child, Edeline. I am so, so sorry."
The air was sucked right out of my lungs. A sharp, jagged pain sliced through my chest, and my legs simply gave out. I hit the dirt, my knees barking in protest, but I couldn't feel anything but the throbbing in my heart.
"No," I choked out, my lip trembling violently. "No... you're lying. Tell me you're lying!"
"I didn't know, Edeline," he whispered. His voice was a jagged wreck. I watched his hands shake at his sides, his knuckles turning a ghostly white as he balled them into fists. "I didn't know it would be you. I didn't think I’d find my mate so soon." He shoved a hand through his hair, a ragged breath escaping his lungs. "She was in heat... I was weak. I let the wolf take over. I’m sorry—"
"No! Please, Percival... don’t do this," I sobbed, reaching out for him blindly. "Is it something I did? Did I upset you? Whatever it is, I'll fix it, just please don't say this to me!"
"I am so damn sorry..."
He pulled me into him, holding me with a desperate, crushing force. I felt my wolf thrashing against my ribs, howling in agony, while I let him feel every ounce of the betrayal breaking me apart. I completely shattered. I slumped against the forest floor, rocking back and forth as I pressed my forehead into the cold dirt, screaming my grief toward the moon.
Percival dropped beside me, his own eyes drowning in despair. When he pulled me back into his chest, his touch was like fire—a cruel, beautiful reminder of the bond that was now a death sentence. The air between us crackled with a connection that begged me to claim him, to mark him and never let go.
I knew he hadn't planned this. I could feel his want for me in the way he shook. He wanted me to be his Luna. He wanted us.
But the weight in my chest was too heavy to carry.
"What are you going to do?" I asked, looking up at him through a blurred veil of tears.
"I have to do the right thing, Edeline," he muttered. His eyes were dark with a hollow, desperate look.
The right thing. I knew what that meant. He was the future Alpha. He couldn't abandon his own blood. He was going to take responsibility for her.
"But I'm your mate..." I whispered, the words tasting like ash.
"I know. I'm sorry. I wish... I wish I could fix it. I’m trapped, Edeline. I’m so sorry." He tried to stroke my hair, his touch meant to soothe the very wound he had caused.
It was too late for comfort.
I let out a long, shaky breath, the fight draining out of me. "What choice is there? It’s done. You can't run away from a child." I looked away, my voice turning hollow. "Just... go to her."
I felt his hand freeze against my back. He pulled away slowly, and I could feel his shock radiating off him like heat. I couldn't look at him. I couldn't look at the face of the man I loved while he chose someone else.
"Edeline, I—"
"Just go, Percival!" I screamed, my voice breaking. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the agony.
"I'm sorry," he whispered one last time.
I listened to the sound of his footsteps fading into the distance, leaving me alone in the dark. My heart felt like it was bleeding out into the soil beneath me.
